Sir Clyde Leopold Walcott was one of the hardest hitters of the ball to grace the game of cricket. He was the youngest of the three Ws, but grew up to be the tallest of the trio. Walcott too...Full profile

Sir Clyde Leopold Walcott was one of the hardest hitters of the ball to grace the game of cricket. He was the youngest of the three Ws, but grew up to be the tallest of the trio. Walcott took a liking to the game at a young age and played for Combermere School as a wicket-keeper. He was a bit of an anomaly in the sense that usually short cricketers take up the mantle of wicket-keeping duties.

At the tender age of 16, he made his First-Class debut for Barbados against Trinidad in 1942. However, it was in 1946 when he shone brightly in a match against Trinidad at Port of Spain. Walcott and his schoolmate, Frank Worrell, stitched a memorable unbroken stand of 574. In that match, with a crouched stance, he thumped the bowlers to all parts of the ground.

No wonder, Alec Bedser later on said: “I would rate Walcott as the hardest hitter of the three Ws. He drove with more strength off the back-foot than some crack batsmen were able to do off the front foot, an asset which led him to go back and force the ball away more than most and to assault the overpitched half-volley with particular savagery.”

The turning point of Walcott's career came when an England team led by Gubby Allen toured the Caribbean in 1948. He unwrapped the generous portion of natural bounty bestowed upon him with a ton for Barbados against the touring MCC side. The selectors soon picked him for the series against England. In his first four Tests against England, he struggled to make an impact.

Just like Weekes, it was the series against India in 1948, where he revived his fledgling career by aggregating 452 runs in five Tests. He carried that excellent form to the series against England in their own backyard. The three Ws along with the spin twins Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine, helped the visitors to clinch their first ever series win in England.

In that series, it wasn't just about Walcott essaying a crunching knock of 162 in the Test played at Lord's, but also he gave a good account of himself as a keeper. In 1950-51, he found the searing pace of Lindwall and Keith Miller a bit difficult to handle and ended up with just 87 runs. Interestingly, it was also the last time he kept wickets for West Indies. After that series, Sammy Guillen took over the role of keeping wickets.

Relinquishing wicket-keeping duties certainly helped him to regain form. Over a span of just 12 Tests, he notched up 10 Test hundreds. His double ton against a formidable England unit at Bridgetown, Barbados, is still reminisced fondly by cricket lovers. It came against the likes of Brian Statham, Trevor Bailey and Tony Lock. To make it even better, Walcott amassed 220 and rest of the batsmen scored just 163 runs.

The career-defining series for Walcott came against Australia in 1955. Even though, Australia dismantled the opposition ranks and won the series 3-0, Walcott compiled 827 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 82.70. Remember, Australia's attack comprised of Lindwall, Miller, Ian Johnson, Richie Benaud and Bill Johnston.

Walcott had his fair of share of problems in England in 1957. He mainly struggled against the great off-spinner, Jim Laker. However, he found his touch back against Pakistan in 1958. One also shouldn't forget the fact that when Garry Sobers broke the record for the highest individual score in Tests, it was Walcott who guided the youngster through tough periods at the other end. Unfortunately, Walcott soon retired from the game at the age of 34 He later said that financial difficulties led to his decision to retire.

Walcott was awarded with OBE in 1966. He was knighted in 1993 and during that year, became the Chairman of ICC. The great man passed away at the age of 80 in 2006.